The longer Tiger Woods spends on the sidelines, the closer he gets to turning 50.
Woods will turn 49 in December, just a few weeks after hosting the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
At The Open in July, Woods said it would be his next competitive start. It’s unclear whether he’ll tee it up, however, following his latest bout of surgery in September.
That was his sixth back procedure in the last ten years.
There is one consolation afforded to the 15-time major champ, though: the senior ranks. Once 50, Woods can take on the PGA Tour Champions.
And he’s not the only one. Here are six big-name golfers turning 50 in 2025…
• 8 big name golfers who retired at an early age
• DP World Tour golfer announces retirement aged 37
Big-name golfers turning 50 in 2025
Tiger Woods
On December 30, 2025, there will be a few worried faces on the Champions Tour. He has already sent the circuit into a frenzy of preparation, just ask Padraig Harrington. “I saw him (at the PNC Championship) and we were just crossing paths and he laughed at me. I won’t say exactly what he said but the gist of it was he can’t wait to get out and beat me,” he told Golfweek.
Jamie Donaldson
At 49, the Welshman is still going strong. A bona fide Ryder Cup legend, Donaldson turned pro in 2000 and went on to win three times on the DP World Tour. No one will ever forget his winning shot for Team Europe at Gleneagles in 2014.
Darren Fichardt
The name might immediately spring to mind because Fichardt agonisingly missed out on a 59 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October. It would’ve been only the second in DP World Tour history. But his biggest strength was winning on the Sunshine Tour – he did it 18 times, to be precise.
• R&A announces major commitment to staging events in Scotland
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David Howell
Another true golf legend, Howell holds the record for most appearances on the DP World Tour. The Englishman turns 50 in June, and it would be a surprise to see him pass up playing on the Legends Tour. Five DP World Tour wins and two Ryder Cups make for a nice CV to reflect on.
Søren Kjeldsen
The Dane is already planning the transition to life on the senior tour. Kjeldsen, 49, will fall just short of Howell’s record but is one of only three players to reach 700 starts. “I look forward to playing with someone my age,” he said after bowing out at the Genesis Championship in Korea.
Bo Van Pelt
Van Pelt has joined several other US veterans on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, and he’ll qualify for the PGA Tour Champions from May 2024. He won his sole PGA Tour title in 2009 but finished joint runner-up at an event in 2021, his best finish in nearly nine years. There’s life in Van Pelt yet.
Tim Clark
While Clark hasn’t played competitively since 2016, the South African has a career worth remembering. Like Woods, he’ll turn 50 in December and has won multiple PGA Tour titles, including the Players Championship. Okay, the comparisons might end there, but Clark won 12 professional events around the world.
